In My Nature
by Himitsu-no-Paradise
Summary: Nature versus nurture. How much is one's identity defined by what is expected of them from the start? AU.


_Okay, so this is a TOTAL AU. Loki is (reluctantly) kept by Laufey at the "request" of Farbauti. And as a prince who is learning how to be king, he crosses paths with Sigyn, who, in this, is the daughter of Odin, and sister of Thor. _

_Some things change, others remain the same. But chaos ensures nonetheless, for even when the nature of a person is changed, some things can never truly disappear._

_By the way, this is Blackfrost. So, you do the math._

_Enjoy. (Original prompt [with a lot tweaking] offered by Tumblr user __**thefieryredavenger**__)_

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**In My Nature**

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_Prologue_

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There was a time before the Jotun and Aesir were hostile toward one another. The two races were never truly amiable toward one another, but there was a tense tolerance between them. Laufey, king of Jotunheim, would attend summits and meetings held by Odin between rulers of the Nine Realms.

He would often bring his son, despite his disappointment in the boy's size—a _runt_ is what he called the child. He had once tried to dispose of him—any good king of giants could not have a son no bigger than the puny humanoids that inhabited most of Yggdrasil. However, his mate, his queen, and the mother of the pathetic boy, had nearly committed treason with an ice knife upon learning that her son had been left out in the cold. Even a Jotun baby could not survive in the cold without the nutrition and warmth of his mother's bosom.

So, Laufey had been forced to keep the boy, and struck a deal with Farbauti—he would not attempt disposal on the runt again, in exchange for her unconditional consent that he may have her wherever, whenever, whether she wanted it or not. He would have his heir—a true heir.

Farbauti often went days and days, bruised and battered—but never once was she again found with child.

Her son was her one and only—it was as if Yggdrasil itself was playing an amusing joke on Laufey for his cruelty, and leaving him with only one heir—a runt. Even when Laufey disappeared for nights and nights, trying to impregnate one of his many other mistresses, did another child ever manifest. And in her bruises, scrapes and desperate violations, Farbauti still laughed, quietly, inside herself to know her son would be heir and king of Jotunheim one day.

His size never mattered to her.

And she watched him grow in grace and beauty, watched him learn to fight with a spear, to hunt even with the larger boys his age, to tame the wild beasts of Jotunheim, and she admired what she had borne from her own body—she was glad to never have another, for to her, her son was enough.

Her Loki was a boy worth inheriting the throne of Jotunheim.

And eventually, when Loki was a young one-hundred years old, a mere adolescent to those who had been around for millenia, Laufey stopped trying. He stopped coming into Farbauti, unless he had no other options, and he reluctantly began to teach Loki how to be prince, and heir apparent, of Jotunheim.

Including bringing him to the royal summits called by Odin, the Allfather—the master of all the Nine Realms, and protector of Yggdrasil.

Odin would sometimes bring his own children—Thor, his eldest, his heir.

And Sigyn—a blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty with plump lips, and a pert, endearing, slightly bulbous nose.

It was at one of these summits that Loki first laid eyes on the beautiful woman—with curls so full and kinky, and yellow as the Asgardian sun. He knew what was required of him by his father—a reluctant tolerance (and deep-buried hatred) of the Aesir. He knew what was required of him by his mother—to become king after Laufey, by any means necessary. To prove Laufey wrong about him. To marry a Jotun woman and produce children. To always ensure the pure bloodline of Farbauti's runt would always be on the throne of Jotunheim.

But even at a young age, Loki enjoyed a bit of fun—a bit of rebellion. And though he, with his blue skin, and ruby eyes, carved with the intricate lines and swirls of his culture, was the stark opposite of Sigyn, he could not help but find her lovely—and become immediately infatuated with her.

And he knew, he _knew_, that this, despite his parents hatred of one another, and opposing sides, was something that would derail the plans that _both_ of them had for him.

And he didn't care.

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"_For everything, there is a season, a time for every purpose under Heaven._" Ecclesiastes 3:1

_Please review._


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